Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-09-09


manner and attitude that she exper-
fences pleasure rather than annoyance
from the operation. Cows will not
yield their milk to a person they slike
or dread.
MOISTURE IN NEW HAY.
Hay is not generally so much cheaper
when newly gathered into the barn as
il is supposed to be. 1t has two large a
proportion OF moisture Even when
what is called thoroughly dry, the ex-
ira weight above what il would show
next Spring reveals the presence Of
water, often $50 to 200 pounds per ton.
Most new hay is somewhat laxative for
horses at work, and so also are new
oats. II hay is new, the oats should,
if possible, be Of the previous years
growth. A small ration of old oats
will impart strength. while oats fully
ripe, but of this years growth, fed from
the bundle, will apparently weaken the
horse rather than make him stron ger
The drying out Of hay during the Win
ter is accomplished mainly by cold.
Frost expands the moisture in the hay,
exposing more of it to the air until il
gradually disappears.
RYE IN WHEAT.
Owing to the low price of wheat
farmers are becoming less careful to
keep it free from rye. The two grains
vary little in value by weight, and
there are many farmers who think that
they produce better crops when grown
together than either would separately.
1t looks slovenly to see wheat and rye
growing together; but If rye gets in the
farm, more or less will appear in the
wheat field every season. Years ago,
farmers used to cut out the rye just as
its tail stalks peered above the wheat;
but little of that is done now This
scattering rye does not detract enough
from the price to make it worth while
to remove it. But rye is much harder
than wheat, and in bad seasons will
rapidly increase in proportion to the
finer grain. 1t is worth VIII lie TO get
pure seed wheat This is the only way
to prevent rye from coming in.
CANADA THIsrLEs IN MEADOWS
The Canada thistle, though not east
ly killed, is yet comparatively easy TO
keep in subsection, provided the sur
face is covered with other vegetation.
A heavy growth of clover or timothy
VIII leave little room for thistles, cx-
cept in vacant spaces. Enough will
push through to keep the root alive,
and as soon as the field is plowed they
will grow with greater vigor than ever,
even on fields where but few before
were 10 be seen. Heavily seeding with
clover or grass is therefore one of III
best means, not of destroying thitles,
but of making them as little trouble as
poss ible On a farm filled with this
ties the larger part should be seeded
heavily, and then the fields one after
another be taken in hand and the this
ties in each thoroughly rooted out i
is true a great deal of hay is half this
ties, but this is mainly the farmers
fault, either in not sowing enough grass
and clover seed or in pasturing these
until they were destroyed. leaving the
thistles to occupy their places.
BITTER MILK FROM WEEDS.
The presence of weeds, and especially
rag weed, in pastures is one reason
why many cows give poor milk and
butter during and after midsummer.
While the weather is hot and the poor
animal is tormented by flies she eats
hastily and greedy, not taking the
care TO select the more dill cate gras
aun reject that which is coarse and Of
fensive that she does earlier and later
in the season. The most the COW aims
TO do is to fill herself rapidly with
grass and weeds. and then lie down ir
the shade where flies will be less troub
lesome. 1t is difficult to make first
class butter in midsummer, and impos
sible unless the pastures are free from
weeds and the water good. Cows In
their haste TO fill up in hot weather
will even eat many weeds with grass
whose bitter taste would at any other
time cause them TO reject 1t. Many
Western farmers went too late into
the diary business They were long
comparatively free from weeds; but by
the time grain growing became un-
profitable. their fields were as weedy
as those of Eastern farmers.
GROWING EARLY TOMATOES.
A Pennsylvania grower aims to grow
his tomatoes for market as early a,
possible. In the height OF the season
they show but very little profit. For
early planting, he sows seeds in Janu-